We often ave patients who come back to the ward to visit the team, but we don’t stay friends with patients as we don’t like to blur boundaries between professionals and patients, and also it’s not nice for patients to be reminded of a time when they might have been in a crisis.
We are open and honest and have empathy with our patients, but we don’t become friends with them because it is important to maintain professional boundaries. We are treating them after all. You can be friendly without being friends.
mandy here – good question – different disciplines have differtn approaches and “boundaries”, some work in the person’s house et c and more open / informal about things.
in arts therapies we are really strict, keep the relationship professional. much as we like people we have to keep a distance when therapy ends and would eb struck off the register if we crossed a boundary and had a relationship with patient. we have to met the HCPC professional standards
to do therapy you need to be neutral, it s different to talking to friend/ relative
sometime s we hear from a client later about how they are – maybe a letter/ card and that’s great to know if they are doing well
some times we have aid we would have been friends had we not met though t his work!
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Arts Therapy Team commented on :
mandy here – good question – different disciplines have differtn approaches and “boundaries”, some work in the person’s house et c and more open / informal about things.
in arts therapies we are really strict, keep the relationship professional. much as we like people we have to keep a distance when therapy ends and would eb struck off the register if we crossed a boundary and had a relationship with patient. we have to met the HCPC professional standards
to do therapy you need to be neutral, it s different to talking to friend/ relative
sometime s we hear from a client later about how they are – maybe a letter/ card and that’s great to know if they are doing well
some times we have aid we would have been friends had we not met though t his work!